Amazon?

[TheMan419]

He was obviously speaking metaphorically. You're trying to pick a useless argument for no reason. If you want to take the side of Bezos and show your case for how great he his, please go right ahead.

Its not a useless argument. And I am not defending Bezos. Never said he was great. There is a lot of evidence he treats his employees poorly. However comparing it to slavery is just pure demagoguery.

 

[JDZ735M]

However comparing it to slavery is just pure demagoguery.

One man's slavery is another man's demagoguery. Beating a dead horse is useless. Enjoy your day.

 

[ArlyA]

If you recall 20+ years ago Kmart was the dark horse in the barn. Then it became Wally World, now its Amazonie. Do you see a pattern here? I'm not sticking up for any of them, but Amazon works well for us. Our relative worked for them in a management level for many years and drove one of there cars. She spoke highly of them but no longer employed there.

 

[jyoutz]

Say what you will about Amazon. They provide medical insurance and other benefits. Most small businesses don’t. An Amazon warehouse is one place where someone with no job skills or advanced education can get a job with benefits.

 

[tallyho8]

And before Kmart it was Sears-Roebucks. Big businesses draw a lot of heat because since they are able to buy cheaper in large quantities and consolidate business expenses, they are able to sell cheaper than mom and pop stores. Since the large percentage of consumers rather go to a store with lower prices than a local store with better service, they have been the ruin of most mom-and-pop stores, local hardware stores, lumber yards and various other small businesses.

Don't blame the big box stores for selling products cheaper, blame the consumers for going to them instead of the local businesses.

I love it when I can go to Home Depot and buy a drill cheaper than the local hardware store but hate it when I need a 5 cent washer that I pay for 10 cents for at the local store instead of having to spend 30 minutes driving to Home Depot to purchase it.

I don't even know how to figure how much gas Amazon saves me by delivering the item to my door instead of me having to make a 30 mile round trip to buy it and also selling it cheaper than I can buy it locally. The prime movies and prime audio are just icing on the cake. I admit I am a little jealous of Bezos because he had the ingenuity and finances to start such a company but I feel no differently about him than I do about the Rockerfellers, Carnegie's, Astors and Vanderbilts.

 

[Midniteoyl]

I love it when I can go to Home Depot and buy a drill cheaper than the local hardware store but hate it when I need a 5 cent washer that I pay for 10 cents for at the local store instead of having to spend 30 minutes driving to Home Depot to purchase it.

Thats one thing I only buy at my local Farm Store/Ace - nuts/bolts/screws by the pound. I can run in there and buy a dozen #8 x 2" machine screws, washers, and nylon lock nuts for $0.60.

 

[Torvy]

He was obviously speaking metaphorically. You're trying to pick a useless argument for no reason. If you want to take the side of Bezos and show your case for how great he his, please go right ahead.

Words mean things. If speaking metaphorically, one would not use the word literally, as it actually means you are Not speaking metaphorically. Rather, use the term 'figuratively'.

 

[tradosaurus]

He was obviously speaking metaphorically. You're trying to pick a useless argument for no reason. If you want to take the side of Bezos and show your case for how great he his, please go right ahead.

Reading first hand accounts of people who work in the warehouse for Amazon gave me flashbacks of working for a sadistic plant manager 20 yrs ago as a mechanical engineer. I was brought in through a head hunter and a $10k bonus to come aboard because of my experience. Within 4 months I understood why at least 4 engineers before me had quit. Fortunately I had the experience and degree to move on to another job after I walked out after 10 months. There were some that had a mortgage and family ties that made it difficult to move on.

 

[newbury]

You might add that the up and coming generation really don't want to work anyway. One of my buddies runs a large steel processing plant and he told me his hiring and firing of workforce is like a revolving door.

And this may be why many Amazon workers feel they are treated poorly. They want to be able to sit around and sip coffee.

 

[Oaktree]

If you recall 20+ years ago Kmart was the dark horse in the barn. Then it became Wally World, now its Amazonie. Do you see a pattern here?

I don't remember K-mart ever being the evil empire, but definitely Walmart back in the 90s-early 00s when they started expanding nationwide.

And before Kmart it was Sears-Roebucks. Big businesses draw a lot of heat because since they are able to buy cheaper in large quantities and consolidate business expenses, they are able to sell cheaper than mom and pop stores. Since the large percentage of consumers rather go to a store with lower prices than a local store with better service, they have been the ruin of most mom-and-pop stores, local hardware stores, lumber yards and various other small businesses.

Don't blame the big box stores for selling products cheaper, blame the consumers for going to them instead of the local businesses.

Sorry, but the "ruin" of these local stores isn't the customers, but the stores themselves. Better service? Hah! The box stores are open 7am-9pm (give or take) 7 days a week, the local stores were rarely open during hours that were convenient for people who actually worked for a living.
Why wouldn't customers go where the prices and hours were better? Most of the time we don't need "help" buying a hammer or a can of beans.

Reading first hand accounts of people who work in the warehouse for Amazon gave me flashbacks of working for a sadistic plant manager 20 yrs ago as a mechanical engineer.

I've worked for lousy managers too, but IMHO the problem with a lot of these Amazon whiners is that the company actually expects them to work while they're on the job, a concept that seems to be alien to many people these days. And they won't even let them have their cellphones on them while on the clock. Horrors! How will they ever keep up with their Twitter feed?

 

[TheMan419]

Words mean things. If speaking metaphorically, one would not use the word literally, as it actually means you are Not speaking metaphorically. Rather, use the term 'figuratively'.

Amen. If words don't mean things we might as well just type aeoritya;dfvn lak a'eirut a a;lkjawertkly lakjdflkj and expect others to understand what we mean.

 

[NHBX]

Amen. If words don't mean things we might as well just type aeoritya;dfvn lak a'eirut a a;lkjawertkly lakjdflkj and expect others to understand what we mean.

I understand completely!

 

[tradosaurus]

I don't remember K-mart ever being the evil empire, but definitely Walmart back in the 90s-early 00s when they started expanding nationwide.

Sorry, but the "ruin" of these local stores isn't the customers, but the stores themselves. Better service? Hah! The box stores are open 7am-9pm (give or take) 7 days a week, the local stores were rarely open during hours that were convenient for people who actually worked for a living.
Why wouldn't customers go where the prices and hours were better? Most of the time we don't need "help" buying a hammer or a can of beans.

I've worked for lousy managers too, but IMHO the problem with a lot of these Amazon whiners is that the company actually expects them to work while they're on the job, a concept that seems to be alien to many people these days. And they won't even let them have their cellphones on them while on the clock. Horrors! How will they ever keep up with their Twitter feed?

Working someone 10 hrs like a robot with minimal breaks is not reasonable for the long term. That is why many companies deserve unions. In fact I would try to work in a union if I wasn't a "professional".

 

[5030]

I don't remember K-mart ever being the evil empire, but definitely Walmart back in the 90s-early 00s when they started expanding nationwide.

Back then I had stock in Kmart and lost my butt on it when they pulled their corporate crap.

 

[jyoutz]

And before Kmart it was Sears-Roebucks. Big businesses draw a lot of heat because since they are able to buy cheaper in large quantities and consolidate business expenses, they are able to sell cheaper than mom and pop stores. Since the large percentage of consumers rather go to a store with lower prices than a local store with better service, they have been the ruin of most mom-and-pop stores, local hardware stores, lumber yards and various other small businesses.

Don't blame the big box stores for selling products cheaper, blame the consumers for going to them instead of the local businesses.

I love it when I can go to Home Depot and buy a drill cheaper than the local hardware store but hate it when I need a 5 cent washer that I pay for 10 cents for at the local store instead of having to spend 30 minutes driving to Home Depot to purchase it.

I don't even know how to figure how much gas Amazon saves me by delivering the item to my door instead of me having to make a 30 mile round trip to buy it and also selling it cheaper than I can buy it locally. The prime movies and prime audio are just icing on the cake. I admit I am a little jealous of Bezos because he had the ingenuity and finances to start such a company but I feel no differently about him than I do about the Rockerfellers, Carnegie's, Astors and Vanderbilts.

Another factor related to big box stores vs small businesses. Nowadays most people aren’t able to go shopping during the day on weekdays; most of us shop evenings and weekends. Many small businesses are closed during evenings and weekends. I can’t patronize their businesses if they are closed when I go there.

 

[JDZ735M]

Big businesses draw a lot of heat because since they are able to buy cheaper in large quantities and consolidate business expenses, they are able to sell cheaper than mom and pop stores.

That's the nut of it right there!

The big guy's always have the advantage. Economies of scale.Yet they will always be replaced by someone else eventually.

 

[Dftodd]

Working someone 10 hrs like a robot with minimal breaks is not reasonable for the long term. That is why many companies deserve unions. In fact I would try to work in a union if I wasn't a "professional".

You obviously don't work, or have a desk job.

You pretty much described just about every job out there.

Doesn't sound like you have much knowledge of union work either. My brief stint with the union was a 15 minute break mid morning, 1/2hr for lunch, 15 minute break in the afternoon. 12hr shifts. And I was moving when I wasn't on break and expected to keep busy.

How do you think one of those unioned auto plants operate??

How about a manufacturing plant?

 

[tradosaurus]

You obviously don't work, or have a desk job.

You pretty much described just about every job out there.

Doesn't sound like you have much knowledge of union work either. My brief stint with the union was a 15 minute break mid morning, 1/2hr for lunch, 15 minute break in the afternoon. 12hr shifts. And I was moving when I wasn't on break and expected to keep busy.

How do you think one of those unioned auto plants operate??

How about a manufacturing plant?

Worked in the largest carbon black plant in the world with a large union, son. Worked as a plant engineer and did a stint as shift foreman for a few months.

You held someone over after their shift then automatic 2 hrs overtime at 1-1/2. You call someone out after 5 pm then automatic 5 hrs overtime no matter how long the job.

My engineers pay was a joke to union pay with overtime and I would typically work 10 hrs overtime each week without compensation. Any layoffs had to go according to seniority.

You like to ASSume a lot.

 

[kenmbz]

Wow has this gone off track.

But Amazon and other companies will pay whatever they can get away with to make sure their supply line is moving.
If people want better jobs they have to work for it. I know it's hard, but I did it just like many other people on this list.
Amazon provides a service, I use it to save gas/time. I like to shop local and do so as I can.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Wow, I love Amazon. Amazon makes rural living, civilized.